PURPOSE: To obtain a device for removing the prescribed part of a patterned thin film by repeatedly projecting a focused ion beam to the prescribed part of the patterned film and locally blowing an etching gas thereto, thereby etching said part.
CONSTITUTION: The focused metal ion beam is repeatedly projected to the prescribed part of the patterned film on the surface of a sample 5 while the ion beam is scanned by a scanning circuit 7 so that the prescribed point is sputtered and etched. The etching gas is simultaneously blown locally to said point by a control circuit 16 and the chemical etching is executed by the gas activated by the ion beam. The local point is thus evaporated away. The local point is heated by an ion beam heating means 30 simultaneously at this time to accelerate the chemical etching reaction, by which the patterned film of the prescribed part is efficiently and cleanly removed. The fine working is thus easily executed and the patterned film is corrected.
Sato, Mitsuyoshi
Sasaki, Sumio
Hattori, Osamu
Yasaka, Kojin
